As is known, many sports involve a degree of risk and injury and this is especially true for those sports that involve speed and/or contact, e.g., hockey, football, skiing, etc. While many sports include some degree of protective gear, such as helmets or body padding, injuries are unfortunately still common. Even sports, such as cycling or rollerblading, that do not have contact as part of the rules, still involve a degree of risk and expose the participant to injury as is the case when such participant accidentally falls to the ground or is otherwise struck by an object, such as a vehicle or other person.
Rollerblading is one such sport that subjects the user to a higher risk of injury compared to other sports. The increase in the popularity of rollerblading has led to an increase in injuries due to crashes or falls involving the roller bladder. Some of the injuries can be very serious since roller bladders can travel at high speeds and are susceptible to human and vehicle traffic that pass in front of the path of the roller bladder. Roller bladders are also susceptible to foreign debris in the road or uneven or broken pavement that can cause the roller bladder to fall while traveling at a high rate of speed.
Cycling is very common and popular throughout the world in both recreational and competitive landscapes. In many countries, including those in Asia, cycling is a principle means of transportation. Despite its health benefits and environmentally friendly nature, cycling is seen by a number of people to be an inherently high-risk activity although the use of appropriate safety equipment and observing road rules and generally employing “streets smarts and awareness” can reduce the risk of serious injury. Most serious injuries result from a collision between the cycle and an object, such as a car or other motor vehicle, or a stationary object, such as a wall or tree, etc. The concern is heightened for competitive cyclists due to the tremendous speeds that are achieved by such cyclists. Since head trauma is generally very serious or fatal in nature, most states have enacted laws requiring cyclists to wear a helmet. However, the remaining portions of the body are exposed to injury.
Luckily, most bike accidents or falls do not result in serious head injuries but rather result in more minor, yet still very painful, injuries, such as abrasions or even lacerations. Abrasions are very common sports injuries that are usually caused by a fall on a hard surface. The skin is composed of an outer layer (the epidermis) which provides protection and a deep inner layer (the dermis), which provides the firmness and flexibility of the skin. In dermatology, an abrasion is a wound caused by superficial damage to the skin, no deeper than the epidermis. Mild abrasion (scrapes) do not scar or bleed, but deep abrasions can lead to the formation of scar tissue. An avulsion is a more traumatic type of abrasion that removes all layers of the skin.
Abrasion injuries most commonly occur when exposed skin comes into moving contact with a rough surface (abrasive surface), causing a grinding or rubbing away of the upper layers of the epidermis. With respect to the sports of rollerblading and cycling, as the athlete accidentally falls and/or slides on the ground, friction causes layers of skin to rub off as the body slides or is dragged over the ground. Cyclists often refer to abrasions from crashes as “road rash.” While a bike crash has the potential to cause a painful and severe abrasion, most abrasions are shallow scrapes that do not extend into the dermis and do not cause a great deal of bleeding. While there is often little or no blood loss from an abrasion, there can be a tremendous amount of pain because of the many nerve endings that are exposed and often take weeks to heal and can be prone to infection and potential scar formation.
Conventional treatment of abrasions and road rash include the treatment of the affected area by first cleaning the wound with mild soap or applying a mild antiseptic and then covering the area with an antibiotic, such as a spray or cream, before then dressing the wound with suitable bandages and the like.
It is not uncommon to feel stiff and tender while road rash is healing. In addition to the pain and itching associated with the abrasions, the accident which caused the road rash can cause soreness, etc.
While there are some protective gear products that are meant to be worn by a user to protect against fall and impact related injuries, these products have limited applicability to only a handful of sports/activities due to the designs. For example, some roller bladders not only wear a protective helmet but also wear knee and elbow protectors along with wrist protectors. However, many roller bladders find these products to be bulky and they restrict the movement of the wearer. In cycling, conventional biking apparel is not fitted with protective elements that protect against road rash injuries.
In general, for a protective or safety product to be successful, the user (wearer) should not be aware or should only be minimally aware of its existence and presence on the wearer's body.